A year after Swampscott town meeting members voted to break from the civil service hiring system, the town is hoping for a larger, more diverse pool of candidates for its fire department and police applicant pool. The changes from last year's negotiations with unions and town meeting vote went into effect in October. The town has worked with a vendor to develop an entrance exam "designed to minimize the disparity between applicant groups of diverse backgrounds." The town is now able to consider all candidates who pass the exam — as opposed to only those with the top scores — and can assess candidate qualifications that go beyond the test score.